Acadia Hospital Film on Teen Anxiety and Depression Earns Recognition

Posted: 10/18/2012

Maine Public Relations Council Awards Acadia for Short Dramatic Film, The Road Back
Bangor, ME – The Acadia Hospital has won a Gold Award in the Audio/Visual category for its role in producing and promoting the short dramatic film, The Road Back, in the spring of 2012. The award was presented at the Maine Public Relations Council’s (MPRC) annual Golden Arrow Awards ceremony held at the USM Abromson Center in Portland on October 11.
The film, written and directed by Hermon High School student Faith Bishop, was created largely by the efforts of area teens and was produced in partnership with Project AWARE, a Saco, Maine based youth empowerment organization that specializes in the use of video to involve and educate young people. The film was designed to inform youth and adults about the realities of living with a mental illness, with the ultimate goal of decreasing stigma and increasing access to professional help in a timely manner.
“This film project has involved or impacted many people, and we are thrilled to receive independent confirmation of its quality and value as an educational tool from the Maine Public Relations Council,” commented Acadia Hospital President and CEO Daniel B. Coffey. “It has been, and continues to be, a true community project that highlights an area of real concern for our youth. We are thankful to our project sponsors, and to our movie partners; the area teens and Project AWARE.”
The DVD, which also contains special features, has been distributed free of charge to over 100 Maine middle and high schools. It premiered at Gracie Theatre in March, 2012, and was also featured in a special broadcast on WABI TV5.
The program was funded in part by the Davis Family Foundation, Bingham Program, Spring Harbor Hospital and Bangor Savings Bank.
Acadia Hospital is a fully accredited and licensed non-profit psychiatric hospital whose mission it is to empower people to improve their lives. For more information please go to: www.acadiahospital.org or www.acadiatheroadback.org.